Lazy eye or amblyopia

13 October 2022

Amblyopia, or lazy eye, occurs when one eye becomes weaker than the other during infancy or childhood. The brain favors the better-seeing eye, allowing the weaker eye to worsen over time.

The most common symptoms are:

• difficulty distinguishing the proximity or distance of something (depth perception).;
• squinting or closing one eye;
• tilting of the head.

Causes

• Refractive errors. One eye may be much better focused than the other. The other eye may be nearsighted or farsighted, or may have astigmatism (distorted or blurred vision). When the brain receives one blurred image and one clear image, it begins to ignore the blurred one. If this goes on for months or years the vision of the blurred eye will worsen.

• Strabismus. This is when the eyes are not aligned as they should be: one eye may turn inward or outward. People who have strabismus cannot focus their eyes together on an image, so they often see double.

• Cataracts. A cloudy lens inside the eye can make things look blurry. Vision in that eye may not develop as it should.

• Drooping eyelid (ptosis). A drooping eyelid can block vision.

Risk Factors

A child may be more likely to have a lazy eye if:

• was born early (premature);
• has a family history of amblyopia or other eye conditions;
• has developmental disabilities.

Early detection is important because treatment is most effective when started early. Depending on the cause, it may involve:

• Correcting any underlying vision problems, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Most children with amblyopia also need glasses to help their eyes focus.

• Surgery, if a cataract blocks light from entering the eye, or if strabismus prevents their eyes from moving together as they should.

• Wearing a patch over the strong eye to force the brain to use the weak eye. At first, the child will have trouble seeing. His or her vision will improve, although it may take weeks or months. After that, he or she will not have to wear the patch all the time.

At the Espaillat Cabral Institute, we have pediatric ophthalmologists. Make your appointment online.